Hi Annie,A big thank you for having me in the chair. It seems to be where I spend most of my time now that I’ve ventured down the gnarly path of being a writer. A place you would be well-acquainted with, Annie, having churned out a plethora of outstanding novels in your short career.As writers, we spend hours tapping away at the keys. These hours blur into days, weeks, months and years, spurred on by the stories in our head, the voices in our mind, the feelings in our heart and the insatiable desire to share it all with our readers. Writers, write. That’s what we do. And along the way we hope to become better writers telling better stories. The widely touted theory of it taking 10,000 hours of practise to be an expert at anything is currently being debunked by science because other variables are essential to being an expert. For me, I think one of the key variables is grit. It takes grit to stay in the chair, to keep tapping at the keys when the rest of our lives are calling us to take a break. It takes grit to commit to the stories, the voices and the feelings, and to massage the manuscript into shape until we can set it free to bring life to our readers. Angela Duckworth talks about gritty people as those who believe “everything will be all right in the end, and if it’s not all right, then it’s not the end.” Writers are gritty people.And it was grit which became the core characteristic of my heroine and hero in my debut romantic suspense, Retribution. Jessie Hilton is a soloist in the Australian Ballet company. She is disciplined, ambitious and driven to achieve her dreams, even against the worst odds. It will take all the grit she can muster to become principal dancer and escape her past. My hero had to be her match; a man with equal power, passion and fortitude. Since I’ve always had great respect and gratitude for the men, women and animals of our country’s armed forces, I knew my hero would be one of them. They’re a rare breed who place themselves in harm’s way to fight for our freedoms and way of life. A uniquely Australian character, my hero is a professional soldier with a damaged past and worthy of finding love again. Then there is BJ’s dog, Whiskey, who is also a main character. She is integral to the story and a true hero. And like Jessie and BJ, Whiskey possesses grit.Retribution is gritty and demanded to be written. The story is my way of paying tribute to the people who have endured more than most. Those who have lived hellish childhoods, those who have fought for our freedom and those who have experienced unimaginable trauma. It explores how those with grit overcome their pasts while others never recover from their suffering. With the overarching theme of forgiveness and redemption, Retribution pays homage to the human condition in all its glory and misery.

A gripping, romantic suspense of betrayal, hope and loveby Diane DemetreJessie Hilton is tough. Since the age of fifteen, she has dreamed of being a principal dancer with the Australian Ballet Company. Now at twenty-four, she stands on the brink of fulfilling her dream unaware of a secret buried deep within her.Ex-military officer, Brad Jordan is rebuilding his life with the help of his boisterous Border collie, Whiskey. After helping Jessie out of a tight spot, he discovers a kindred spirit in the ambitious ballerina.But with the sudden attention of an unwanted admirer, Jessie’s life begins to spin out of control. Called back to her family home in country New South Wales due to her father’s unforeseen illness, she is torn between career and family. As her dream of being principal dancer fades, her stalker edges ever closer. But there is more to overcome than a lurking psychopath. Can Jessie and Brad confront their own demons and escape the past?Award winning author, Diane Demetre writes genre-busting stories which delve deep into the human psyche, and Retribution is no exception. Winner of Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Pro Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript, Retribution is her first romantic suspense. If you love a cast of complex characters, a slow simmering romance and an intriguing plot, don’t miss this page-turning romantic suspense with a twist.